Burnout and Coping Skills amongst Medical Officers: A study in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia

Burnout among doctors is hazardous, leading to stress which results in poor decision making and exposure to medical errors.  This study aims to improve the knowledge gap of the issues of burnout and coping skills among medical officers. This study is a cross-sectional study involving 250 medical officers, using universal sampling. Of the total 250 participants, 63 (25.2%) were burnout. The presence of burnout was significantly associated with dysfunctional coping skills (t=-4.96; p <0.001).  Burnout is prevalent among medical officers. It is vital to take actions that can promote good mental health in the form of coping skills and resilience training.Keywords: burnout; coping skills; doctors; medicaleISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i12.1940  

Coping skills and burnout among medical officers in a Malaysian tertiary hospital / Nur Faizah Ali … [et al.]

Burnout among doctors is hazardous, leading to stress which results in poor decision making and exposure to medical errors. This study aims to improve the knowledge gap of the issues of burnout and coping skills among medical officers. This study is a cross-sectional study involving 250 medical officers using universal sampling. Of the total 250 participants, 63 (25.2%) were burnout. The presence of burnout was significantly associated with dysfunctional coping skills (t=-4.96; p <0.001). Burnout is prevalent among medical officers. It is vital to take actions that can promote good mental health in the form of coping skills and resilience training

Environmental Management Practices in Small Batik Industry in Kelantan, Malaysia

Small businesses form a backbone of economy in developed countries as well as in developing countries. However, at the same time, small businesses significantly contributed to environmental degradations because they are preoccupied with matters pertaining to business as well their limitation in resources to look after the environment. In Malaysia, batik industry is one of handicraft products that contributed significant to the country economy, but the industry has poor environmental record. Yet until recently, not many researchers in Malaysia conducted in research pertaining to environmental management practices of SMEs entrepreneurs by using batik as a case. This paper examines environmental practices adopted by entrepreneurs in their business activities. This study utilized in-depth interviews with three entrepreneurs in the industry in Kelantan. The results of the study found that the level of implementation of environmental-friendly practices among batik entrepreneurs were low. Keywords: Environmental management practices, SMEs, batik industr

Modelling and simulation of energy-saving potential of Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) in the abatement of ammoniacal-nitrogen and organics

The ammonical nitrogen removal in discharged effluents from a typical sewerage treatment plant has not been consistent with the stringent discharge standards. There is the need to optimize the energy consumption as well as improve the ammonical nitrogen removal in the treatment plant. This study reports the investigation of the behaviour of process dynamicity of ammoniacalnitrogen (NH3-N) removal in a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) through Activated Sludge Model No.1 (ASM1) and standard SBR design computation for optimal aeration time, while meeting the treatment requirements. Thestudy further evaluates the performance of NH3-N removal based on the data obtained from an existing SBR system. The time profile of process dynamics and the minimum required aeration time with maximum nitrogen removal was studied while taking into account the system’s energy consumption. Moreover, the simulation results by MATLAB Software suggested that the process dynamicity of the carbon and NH3-N concentration is 7 hour batch time with one fill and 1.5 hours aeration time. For computation of SBR standard design, the reduction from current 1.5 hours to 1.35 hours of aeration for 80% to 93% of NH3-N removal brought about the total energy saving of up to 10 percent

Indoor chemical air contaminants in main prayer hall during Jumaat prayer in mosques with different mechanical ventilation

Muslims generally pray five times a day. Every Friday, adult male Muslims congregate to perform Jumaat prayer, causing increased number of worshippers in mosques and vehicle movements. Consequently, indoor chemical air contaminants are produced inside and outside mosques. This study evaluated the compliance of indoor chemical air contaminants (CO, O3, TVOC, CH2O, and PM10) during Jumaat and Asar prayers in two mosques having different mechanical ventilations (i.e., air conditioning and non-air conditioned system) with the guideline limit recommended by Malaysia’s Industrial Code of Practice. Chemical air contaminants were monitored from 1200H to 1700H in the air-conditioned mosque and from 1200H to 1730H in the non-air conditioned system mosque, which were the times for Jumaat and Asar prayers. The monitoring was conducted from November 2016 to March 2017, during the Northeast monsoon. Results showed that the mean concentrations of the four chemical air contaminants in both mosques did not exceed the acceptable guideline limit. The mean CO, TVOC, CH2O, and PM10 concentrations in the air-conditioned mosque were 0.29 ppm, 354.09 ppb, 31.28 ppb, and 13.45 μg/m3; those in the non-air conditioned system mosque were 2.36 ppm, 344.32 ppb, 19.78 ppb, and 49.91 μg/m3, respectively. However, the air-conditioned mosque’s maximum PM10 concentration of 164.48 μg/m3 exceeded the acceptable guideline limit of 150 μg/m3. Moreover, both mosques’ mean O3 concentrations of 140 and 80 ppb exceeded the limit of 50 ppb, respectively. These results suggested that the concentrations of three chemical air contaminants (TVOC, O3, and CH2O) in the air-conditioned mosque were higher than those in the non-air conditioned system mosque possibly because of the inadequate ventilation system inside the air-conditioned building. Therefore, air-conditioned mosques should have a good ventilation system to provide suitable temperature and humidity for the Jemaah, as well as sufficient amounts of air to remove indoor chemical air contaminants

Effects of hoovering activities on biological contaminants and particulate matter levels in main prayer halls of Malaysian mosques

In Malaysia, carpets are commonly used as finishing flooring material in the main prayer hall of mosques. In cleaning carpets, hoovering has been the most popular method, but it directly triggers the uplifting of dust that may contain bacteria and fungi. Hoovering activities and ventilation strategies (air conditioning split units (ACSUs) or by active ventilation (non-ACSUs)) can affect the prevalence of bacterial and fungal growth. This study aimed to establish the total bacterial counts, total fungal counts and also PM10 concentrations under different ventilation strategies (ACSUs and non-ACSUs) in the main prayer halls of mosques. Identification of bacterial and fungal species also took place in this study. Sampling was performed in 25 mosque buildings (17 ACSUs and 8 non-ACSUs) with carpeted flooring on Zohor-Asar and Friday-Asar prayer sessions at Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Results revealed that the total bacterial counts, total fungal counts and mean PM10 concentrations were higher in mosques with ACSUs than in mosques with non-ACSUs at concentrations ranging from 166cfu/m3 to 660 cfu/m3, from 118 cfu/m3 to 660 cfu/m3 and from 11.15 ± 9.32 µg/m3 to 49.30 ± 13.13 µg/m3, respectively. The total bacterial counts exceeded the acceptable guideline limit by the Industrial Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality (ICOP), but the total fungal counts and PM10 concentrations did not. In some mosques, the total bacterial and fungal counts did not decrease even after hoovering activities were completed. The dominant types of bacteria found in the mosque buildings were Staphylococcus spp., Bacillus spp. and Micrococci spp., whilst the dominant fungal species was Aspergillus niger. Although the findings were not alarming, care should be taken by mosques authorities especially while and after hoovering, to ensure that, the indoor air quality in mosques are being maintained within the permissible limit to protect worshippers from being exposed to bacterial and fungal

Konsep Dasar Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat: Pembangunan dan Pemberdayaan

Kehadiran buku kolaborasi merupakan sebuah fenomena baru di bidang akademik. Bagi sebagian pihak meyakini bahwa buku kolaborasi memiliki banyak kelebihan dan keunggulan, karena ditulis oleh beberapa penulis dengan latar belakang dan sudut pandang berbeda sehingga menghasilkan suatu karya yang unik dan kaya perspektif di dalamnya. Namun demikian, kami juga menyadari bahwa buku hasil karya kolaborasi ini masih banyak memiliki sisi kelemahan dan kekurangan, untuk itu dengan senang hati dan secara terbuka kami menerima berbagai kritik dan saran dari para pembaca sekalian. Hal ini sangat diharapkan sebagai bagian dari upaya kami untuk melakukan perbaikan dan penyempurnaan karya berikutnya di waktu mendatang. Buku ini membahas tentang : Bab 1 Hakikat Pembangunan dan Pelaku Pembangunan Bab 2 Teori Pembangunan dan Strategi Pertumbuhan Bab 3 Paradigma Pembangunan dan Pemerataan Bab 4 Sumber Daya Pembangunan Bab 5 Pembangunan Berbasis Masyarakat Bab 6 Pembangunan Berbasis Kebudayaan, Kearifan lokal, dan Spiritual Bab 7 Konsep Dasar Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Bab 8 Pembangunan Berbasis Pemberdayaan Bab 9 Ruang Lingkup Pemberdayaan dan Partisipasi Masyarakat Bab 10 Tujuan dan Filosofis Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Bab 11 Komunikasi dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Bab 12 Perencanaan dan Evaluasi Pembangunan dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Bab 13 Model Luaran Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Bab 14 Partisipasi Masyarakat dalam Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup Bab 15 Asset Based Community Driven Development (ABCD

Students’ Acceptance of Teaching Interaction through the Diversity of Media in M-Learning

The technological and telecommunication development of this decade has had a profound impact, especially on the education system. In relation to this development, mobile technology in learning or M-learning is a new concept in the learning process. Examples of portable technology include PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), Smartphones, iPads, Tablets, and more. Thus, the availability of these advanced technologies promotes an environment of m-learning among students as it is easy to carry, lightweight, and not burdensome. Through the applications of Google, Facebook, YouTube, Edmodo, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram, information is available anytime and anywhere and to anyone. The objectives of this study were to identify the level of students’ knowledge of m-learning, identify students’ perceptions of m-learning, identify the applicability of students' application to m-learning and identify the relationship between students' level of knowledge and applications usage of m-learning. This questionnaire was used in the data generation, which was analyzed descriptively by using statistical Package for the Social Version 20 (SPSS Statistic 20). The respondents of this study were 204 students in the first year of Faculty Technical and Vocational Education. The finding of the study showed that the use of m-learning in the teaching and learning process has a positive impact which had a min value of 4.00 and above. Besides, this study showed that the use of m-learning is highly recommended as it provides a more engaging learning experience for students. Researchers have suggested that its use of m-learning includes urban and rural students in line with the government's goal of developing an innovative and competitive convergence-based generation

Pencirian dan aktiviti antibakteria endofit Streptomyces sp. dari Hutan Simpan Penyelidikan UKM Bangi

Endofit yang bersimbiosis dengan tumbuhan merupakan mikroorganisma yang terdapat dalam satu sistem jaringan tumbuhan seperti pada akar, daun, batang atau ranting. Ianya dapat menghasilkan metabolit sekunder yang berpotensi untuk digunakan dalam bidang kesihatan sebagai sumber penghasilan antibiotik. Kajian ini bertujuan memencilkan endofit Streptomyces sp. daripada pelbagai tumbuhan ubatan endemik. Kesemua pencilan telah dikenalpasti melalui pemerhatian secara makroskopik dan mikroskopik. Sebanyak 28 pencilan (32%) yang bercirikan Streptomyces sp. telah berjaya dipencilkan menggunakan media pemencil ISP2. Kesemua pencilan adalah bergram positif, mempunyai filamen bercabang serta berbau tanah yang merupakan ciri penting Streptomyces sp. Daripada pemerhatian secara makroskopik, didapati kebanyakan koloni yang terbentuk mempunyai permukaan yang tidak rata serta bersifat kering berkapur. Warna miselium udara pencilan adalah berbeza iaitu kelabu, putih kuning, putih serta hijau kelabu. Selain itu, warna miselium substrat ialah putih kuning, coklat, jingga tua, hijau zaitun dan kelabu muda. Amat menarik kerana terdapat beberapa pencilan yang berbeza cirinya telah dipencilkan daripada pokok yang sama. Selain dari itu, terdapat beberapa pencilan yang mempunyai aktiviti antibakteria yang memberikan perencatan 100% terhadap bakteria ujian. Symbiotic endophytic microorganisms to the plant can be found in a network system of plant roots, leaves, stems or twigs. Its produced secondary metabolites which are potential sources in the health field as antibiotics producer. The aim of this study is to isolate endophytic Streptomyces sp. from various medicinal plants in an endemic area. All isolates were identified through macroscopic and microscope observation. A total of 28 isolates (32%) with Streptomyces sp. characterization were successfully isolated using a specific media, ISP2. All strains are gram positive with branched filament and earthy essential odors which are characteristic of Streptomyces sp. From macroscopic observation, colonies formed mostly uneven and dry calcareous. Aerial mycelium of isolates showed different colors which were gray, white, yellowish, and grayish green. Nevertheless, the substrate mycelium showed white yellowish, brown, dark orange, olive green and light gray in color. It is interesting that some distinct characteristics of isolates were isolated from the same plant. Apart from that, numbers of isolate have the antibacterial activity with 100% inhibition against test bacteria